Adding to the list of diagnosis’ I’ve racked up – Cranial Cervical Instability (CCI).
CCI happens when the ligaments in the neck become loose – think of them as springs that help hold your head up straight.
When the ligaments are loose, the muscles overcompensate, creating stiffness and pain.
Symptoms can include:
- Head tilting
- Intracranial hypertension – pressure headaches
- Brian fog, concentration difficulties, memory issues
- Dysautonomia
- Digestive problems
- Swallowing difficulties
- Hiccups
- TMJ
- Burning mouth and facial pain
- Strange skin sensations
- Excessive sweating, Sweaty hands, and palms
- Itching skin
- Cardiovascular type disorders
- Vision problems
- Tinnitus & ear problems
- Sinus problems
- Chronic fatigue
- Dizziness
- Balance problems
- Headaches
- Anxiety and Depression
I resonate with most of these, but the one benchmark – the one symptom CCI patients share across the board is:
FEELING LIKE YOUR NECK CANNOT SUPPORT THE WEIGHT OF YOUR HEAD.
Oh how many times I’ve said these very words!
CCI is a structural disorder where the ligaments supporting the base of your skull and the cervical spine are not tight enough to actually hold your head up. So yeah, that last symptom is as spot on as it gets!
The spine can be affected all the way down, and many patients with CCI have the ligament instability in other joints.
You can learn about my diagnosis and treatment here: https://philippijoy.com/doctors-programs/hauser-neck-center-caring-medical/Hauser Neck Center
In addition to treating the instability, my muscles overcompensated by becoming tight. Some of the things I’ve done to help this:
- Procaine injections – my amazing husband once again steps up to stick me with needles. This time in the neck. Usually 6-12 and 3-4 days per week. This helped some, but a law went into effect which doesn’t allow mail delivery of procaine in Californi. So we stopped.
- Specialized Physical Therapy has also helped tremendously. The focus is different than normal PT – it’s not about strengthening muscles, just the opposite in fact. Healthwell PT – they do zoom appts so you can do it from anywhere and usually are covered by insurance. Pillow tools recommended by PT
- Therawave is a tool used by doctors which uses sound waves to cause microabrasions in the muscle. This causes the body to send healing cells to the muscle.
- Platelet Rich Plasma contains hundreds of growth factors and cytokines which help the body heal.
It’s ok to have a pity party, just don’t unpack and live there. MY MOTTO
PhilippiJoy 